A muzzle-loading rifle is a rifle that, in structural and functional terms, replicates old-fashioned, traditional rifles and gives the user the feeling that they are firing an antique weapon in accordance with classical hunting techniques. Specifically, a muzzle-loading rifle is mainly characterized in that the gunpowder and the bullet must be manually inserted into the bottom of the barrel and pressed down before the shot can be fired.
After the gunpowder and the bullet have been pressed into the bottom of the barrel (next to the breech plug), the trigger is pulled, the shot happening as follows: the pulling of the trigger causes an ignition at the end of the breech plug opposite the gunpowder and the bullet. The ignition travels through a relatively narrow internal conduit of the breech plug until it reaches the other side of the breech plug, reaching the gunpowder. The gunpowder then explodes, causing the bullet to be expelled.
Typically, gases and residue from ignition and the explosion of the gun powder can travel within the rifle to areas that one would rather the gases didn't travel. In one example, the gases can cause fouling of close-tolerance components. For example, after a certain number of shots is performed using these rifles, traces of gunpowder usually collect in the connection area between the breech plug and the barrel (a connection area that is generally threaded although it may present other arrangements). These traces of gunpowder can make it very difficult to detach the breech plug from the barrel.
Furthermore, depending on the particular igniter (e.g. primer) and its fit with the breech plug (and its engagement with a movable bolt of the rifle), ignition of the primer typically causes a substantial amount of fouling, for example, wherein sparks and hot gasses pass by the engagement with the movable bolt and cause fouling of the same. In most cases, the escape of hot gasses and sparks from the ignition is substantially inconsistent, which affects the ignition of the gunpowder, and thus the velocity and trajectory of the bullet are inconsistent. According to some examples, after the gunpowder explodes, pressure “backwashes” from the barrel and travels along the same pathway as the hot gasses and sparks of the primer igniting, thereby causing further fouling of the bolt and receiver.
Thus, there is a need for a means for controlling the flow (travel) of gases and residue within the rifle. It is to the provision of such that the present invention is primarily directed.